To Be Accepted
by Rattraveller
Summary: The Angels of Defiance are one of the new all Primaris Space Marine chapters. What happens when they encounter one of the much older chapters who are also sons of Lion El Jonson but who know the secret.


To Be Accepted

1/22/2020

For more than a Hundred centuries the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. His is the Master of Mankind by the Will of the Gods and Master of a Million Worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is the rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium, for whom a thousand souls die every day, for whom blood is drunk and flesh is eaten.

Human blood and Human flesh-The stuff of which the Imperium is made.

To be alive in such times is to be one amongst untold trillions and trillions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable; this is a tale of those times.

BEGIN

Lieutenant Matthias of the Angels of Vengeance waited to allow his plasma pistol to supercharge. He then fired it into the Chaos Space Marine bearing done on him with a chain axe spinning and spitting blood. Even has the traitor started to bring the sizzling weapon down, he fired the superheated projectile into the traitor's chest vaporizing most of him instantly. Not waiting for the pistol to be ready to fire again, Lieutenant Matthias brought his glowing power sword up and sought to finish off cultists who had followed the Heretic Astartes into damnation and into this battle.

Towering over the mortals, the Primaris Space Marine just barreled through three of the cultists, hitting them so hard all were thrown back several feet, landing with bone cracking crunches among the rubble of what had once been a hab block this once loyal city. He swung his power sword as soon as he had broken through, slicing another cultist in half. Turning to find another target and found the only ones still standing were his battle brothers.

Scanning the readout inside his helmet he quickly tallied that only half his command was still in fighting condition. It was a testament to the Emperor of Mankind and Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl'swork in genetic engineering that had produced him and his fellow Primaris Space Marines that only that many had been lost. They had been fighting non-stop for almost a month against what was a never-ending stream of Humans who had turned their backs on the Emperor. They were being led by several different bands of Heretic Astartes, even greater traitors to the Emperor.

These traitors had used the same strategy as so many others. First the Planetary Defense Forces had been infiltrated and then betrayed Fortunately those who had remained loyal to the Emperor had only just managed to defend the astropaths temple long enough for them to send a psychic call for help. The Angels of Defiance and several Imperial Guard regiments had been sent to put down the uprising. They had quickly become bogged down by the traitors and now found themselves in a war of attrition the loyalist forces were losing. The enemy just did not seem to have an end to reinforcements.

Changing their tactics, the Imperial Guard regiments had taken up defensive positions at the key points on the planet trying to protect the still loyal civilian population and supply lines. The Angels of Defiance took up raids trying to find and destroy the leadership of this Chaos led rebellion. Without a firm guiding fist mixed Chaos forces fell to infighting, slaughtering each other as much as those they were supposed to.

Lieutenant Matthias went over the intel report again and thought that group of traitors would be the last they encountered before they breached the enemy headquarters. He activated his vox and sent out a unit wide call. He said, "Form a defensive perimeter around our fallen brothers. Apothecary you have five minutes to collect the gene-seed before we carry on with the mission."

Only the Apothecary sent an acknowledgement signal, everyone else knew what they needed to do and took up their positions. They had been fighting together for over one hundred years, ever since the Primarch Roboute Guilliman had called for them to awake from their 11,000-year slumber and serve the Emperor in these darkest of times.

There was another reason they did not respond. Simply it was not in their nature to say any more than was absolutely necessary. While one Primarch had called them forth, they were sons of another Primarch. Although no one had seen Lion El Jonson since the time when he and his battle brothers had begun their transformation into Primaris Space Marines all of them were just like him. Steadfast, true, quiet, stoic and solemn. These were their trademarks, although some would call them dour and secretive.

Going over the geographic data again, Matthias calculated they were no more than 500 meters from the entrance to the underground shelter where the latest intelligence said the enemy headquarters should be. There were still twenty of them left and they had been conserving ammunition so that would not be a problem. There were no reserves left to call in so they need to go in and cut the proverbial head off this enemy.

Thinking to himself, "The time to finish off this enemy had come". Lieutenant Matthias was about to signal his battle brothers to move when his enhanced hearing picked up a high-pitched whine coming from above. Looking up he could plainly see four flaming contrails coming down on top of their position. Everyone sought new cover as they tried to determine what new threat the enemy was throwing at them was.

As one, the four objects came down firing their braking rockets together. In less than a minute four tear dropped shaped cylinders landed in between the Angels of Defiance position and the underground bunker entrance. As soon as they hit the dirt, three sides of cylinders six sides fell open. From inside twenty of the older Space Marines in black Terminator pattern power armor with off white helmets emerged for what Lieutenant Matthias now recognized as ancient pattern of Space Marine drop pods.

Since they did not immediately fire on them and did not have any of the marks of Chaos on them, he attempted to reach them over the vox net. Meanwhile he took a closer look at the twenty Terminators and found another surprise. Fifteen of them were armed in what he knew to be typical Terminator weapons: storm bolters, assault cannons, heavy flamers and Cyclone missile launchers along with power fists for close in work and all of these were of ancient designs not often seen in this age. He could easy believe some of these weapons had seen use during the Horus Heresy he knew from his childhood. It was the other five Terminators that drew his eye.

These five Terminators wore crimson tabards with hoods over their armor. Four of them were armed like knights from the ancient days of old Terra with shields and maces so large only Space Marines could wield. The last Terminator differed in that he was not wearing a helmet and his dark ebony features matched his armor while his gray hair matched his battle brothers' helmets. This much older Space Marine had a shield but instead of a mace he carried a giant flail. These weapons clearly marked those five Terminators as Death Knights, the elite among the elite of among Terminator Space Marines chapters who drew their gene seed from the same Primarch as he and his battle brothers.

No vox traffic came back from the newcomers but the helmetless Death Knight who must be the Knight Master turned toward Lieutenant Matthias so he could see his face in full view. In doing so he revealed the chapter badge on his left pauldron. The image was of a red winged flame topped by a red Iron Halo centered on a white background roundel and this roundel was centered on a field of black. A small feeling of shock went through the Lieutenant. That was the chapter badge of the Consecrators. He had only heard small snatches of information about them. A very secretive Space Marine chapter who fought mostly against traitors and heretics and almost never spoke with or coordinated with any of those they fought with. This confirmed that they were if not battle brothers to him and his own battle brothers then they were cousins This was not what shocked Lieutenant Matthias.

What shocked Lieutenant Matthias most was that after looking at him the Knight Master did speak to him. In a clear and deep voice from across the battlefield and said, "Hold your position."

The Knight Master then turned and moved with his unit toward the underground bunker entrance that had been Lieutenant Matthias objective. He watched as they moved in and vanished underground.

A simple and direct order was the way of the sons of The Lion. The command structure of Space Marine Chapters both new and old was not as clear other military organizations. The Knight Master and his Deathwing Terminators were technically outranked by a Lieutenant. Still one did not simply ignore the instructions of the most honored member of a chapter of Space Marines, especially someone from a chapter of the same Primarch.

There was also the practical side to consider. Even though both units were equal in number, The Consecrators were fresh into this fight. Lieutenant Matthias and his battle brothers were getting low on ammunition and even their superhuman physiques had been battered by all the fighting they had engaged in. Sons of the Lion were in all things very practical. However, this did not mean they would just sit back and occupy some ground, they would hold and secure the entire position.

Lieutenant Matthias activated his vox and said, "Angels of Defiance break into five-man squads and execute search pattern Gamma. Destroy all traitors found and look for additional entrances and exits to the underground bunker. Do not allow any of the traitors to escape."

Through well-rehearsed actions the Angels of Defiance organized and moved out. Over the next half an hour they covered a large area of the former hab block. Many traitors, heretics, mutants and a few Chaos Space Marines were given the Emperor's judgement by Lieutenant Matthias and his battle brothers. During all this time he monitored all the vox channels for any traffic from the Consecrators. He did not find it. Nor did his superior hearing give him any clue as to how the battle underground was proceeding. He was calculating how much more time he should give the Death Knights and Deathwing of the Consecrators before going in after them when he saw movement in the area of the underground bunker entrance.

Moving his squad over there while signaling the rest of his unit to converge has soon as they were able it did not take long to see the Death Knights and their fellow Terminators had been successful. Their full number had returned from the battle with only a few obvious injuries. The battle must have been brutal since he could see all of them were covered in blood and there were many dents and rents in their Terminator armor. One of the shields carried by the Death Knights had a gash going halfway down its length.

At the very end of the line of Terminators emerging from underground came the Knight Master. In the hand that held his flail he also held a chain. At the other end of the long thick chain he dragged out a Chaos Space Marine who unlike the ones they had been fighting did not appear to have any mutations. He did bear some of the blasphemous marks of Chaos on his power armor. The power armor was what drew Lieutenant Matthias eye the most. It was the same black as the Consecrators and was of an ancient pattern like much of the war gear being used by their almost allies. Another similarity was the tabard being worn by the Chaos Space Marine. Although it was tattered, bloodied and dirty it was identical in design to the ones worn by the Death Knights but had originally been white in color.

Noticing that the Consecrators were beginning to spread out in what appeared to be an attack formation, Lieutenant Matthias signaled his battle brothers to stand fast while he approached the Knight Master.

He said, "Hail brothers. Congratulations to you for finishing the mission."

The Knight Master just looked at the Primaris Lieutenant for a full minute before responding. During that time the Terminators had taken positions surrounding Lieutenant Matthias and his squad of battle brothers and the other Death Knights looked ready to charge him. The rest of his battle brothers were still coming toward his position. Space Marines did not know fear. This was drilled out of them during their training and conditioning. If he could feel fear, Lieutenant Matthias would have felt it at this moment.

The Knight Master said, "Tell me Lieutenant, do you serve the Emperor and our Primarch Lion El Jonson?"

Now Lieutenant Matthias felt only anger another Space Marine would even have to ask this question.

He said, "Brother me and all of those who wear the armor of our chapter live only to serve the Emperor and the Lion. To even ask is an insult to our honor."

If his anger had any effect on the any of the Death Knights they did not show it. He said, "It is rumored by some that since it was the other Primarch and his heretic tech priest that created you and yours that your loyalty is more toward them first. Especially in chapters that are entirely made of those of your kind."

In all the time Lieutenant Matthias had been among those created from the gene seed of Lion El Jonson that had been one of the longest things he had heard at one time from one of them. Unfortunately, they were not words that were new to him. Never directly, but to the enhanced senses of a Primaris Space Marine their meaning and intent were picked up in many engagements he had taken part in with the other Space Marines and especially those of the fellow chapters descended from the Lion. None had ever been bold enough say it to his face before.

He said, "Our creation may not meet your approval, but our loyalty should never be questioned. We serve the Emperor of Mankind before all others."

Still without reaction the Knight Master said, "Which Primarch holds your loyalty?"

Checking his anger, Lieutenant Matthias made a decision to do something those of the Lion seldom did, he spoke of a matter personal to him. He said, "What is your name Knight Master? For I will only speak next to a brother I know."

The Leader of the Death Knights said, "Genitive."

Lieutenant Matthias said, "Brother Genitive I serve the Emperor and the Lion. Not because of their shared blood in my veins but for another reason."

Realizing he was going to make him ask Knight Master Genitive said, "For what reason other than blood?"

Lieutenant Matthias said, "We began our transformation in the days when many of the Primarchs still walked among us. Not just the Ultramarines Primarch. The only true memory I have from those long-ago days is when I saw Lion El Jonson with my own eyes."

No one else but another Space Marine would have noticed the micro reaction that came across Genitive's face. Lieutenant Matthias thought it might be jealousy. After it had passed Lieutenant Matthias continued, "It was only from afar while I was one among thousands who had waited for hours for him to pass. When I saw him, I saw something I desired more than anything."

Knight Master Genitive prompted him on and said, "What did you to desire?"

Lieutenant Matthias said, "I desired to not just serve the Emperor but to serve the Master of Mankind in the way the Lion did. Not with flashy displays of heroism or by controlling grand sections of the Imperium but with discipline and reverence as the Lion did. Over these long millenniums that is what allowed me to complete the trials that made me not only a Primaris but a true son of the Lion."

Having broken every speech record, he had ever heard from one of Lion El Jonson's sons he stopped himself. He had not intended his speech to be so impassioned, that was not the way of him and all his battle brothers and he would do penance for it when this battle was over but it was Genitive's reaction that gave him another surprise.

Knight Master Genitive smiled and said, "Very well brother. In the name of the Lion. Do not speak of our being here. What we did here today we do for the Emperor and the Lion and all the Unforgiven yourselves included."

Lieutenant Matthias did not hesitate to respond and said, "For the Lion."

With no other words spoken, the Consecrators marched back to where their drop pods were. Lieutenant Matthias turned to watch them and saw to his surprise four Black Thunderhawk gunships had landed. Turning back to his battle brothers he activated his vox on an entire network call and said, "Angels of Defiance we have accomplished our mission. We have done our duty for the Emperor and the Lion. Report back to command for resupply and new orders."

Lieutenant Matthias turned and started to head back. He was already preparing his after-action reports for the planetary command and for his chapter master. Another part of his mind turned to one-word Genitive had spoken, Unforgiven. He had heard all of the sons of the Lion called themselves the Unforgiven. None had ever called him one of them before.


End file.
